Ferrum
Ferrum, the Northern Kingdom of Man The northern human kingdoms of Ferrum are known for its sun baked sands, arid conditions, and rocky crags. The largest coastline in all The Known World, the Bleeding Coast, is home to the northern capital of Al'Akar. Most human cities in Ferrum are built along the coast, and several Orcish tribes and their temples of worship can be found in the heart of Ferrum. Ferrum Navy The Ferrum Navy's symbol is represented by a Scorpion. Enlisted Ranks: * Mariner Second Class * Mariner First Class * Corporal * Vice Sergeant * Sergeant * Master Sergeant * Chief Master Sergeant * Chief Master Sergeant of the Navy Officer Ranks: * Lieutenant Second Class * Lieutenant First Class * Major * Vice Captain * Captain * Rear Admiral * Vice Admiral * Admiral * Fleet Admiral The Bleeding Shore The Bleeding Shore: the longest coastline in all The Known World, home of many residents of Ferrum, and a bloody history to boot. Long bloody naval battles between the Ferrum Navy and Pirates took place in the past. Bodies that dropped into the shore would serve as shark chum, and color the water crimson. Piracy is still a rampant problem among the shore. Al'Akar : The Golden City of Al'Akar was a true spectacle in its heyday. Al'Akar is still the largest city in Ferrum. Its towering buildings of sandstone and ingenious system of aqueducts are a feat even today. King Hazzad, in his Rose Palace, saw to it that Al'Akar would be the glowing beacon of progress and technology in The Known World. : King Hazzad the 2nd, however, is a bumbling and incompetent fool. The Rose Palace: defiled by the King's debauchery. The sandstone buildings and aqueducts: in disrepair, due to the King's frivolous spending. And the streets: filled with crime. Hazzad the 2nd is no more the king of Ferrum than the various sultans and crime lords that fill his pockets. Zalazane : Zalazane was originally a garrison and the front of all northern military operations. The Zalazane Navy was unmatched and is still unmatched to this day. The wide spanning docks of Zalazane are fortified by a system of portcullises, and a top the walls of Zalazane are a series of mounted ballistae. Today, the fortress is the center of a large port town that now thrives on trade, much to the chagrin of certain radicals. In the courtyard of the fort, General Saladin still trains his elite force of scimitar wielding knights: The Ferrum High Guard. He among other radicals and veterans of the war prepare for the day that the "North rises again". Or so they would claim. Merchant Cove : The great bazaar of Merchant Cove attracts all manner of traders. Even the less than reputable types. If there is something that you can think of, someone there might have it, should you have the gold. Though, one should be careful to not attract wrong type of attention and be certain to travel in group when going about the cove. People have a way of getting lost there. Merchant Cove is also the primary home of the Merchant's Guild. Qal'Alu Sands : In a perfect tropical region is the resort town of Qal'Alu Sands. There, sultans and nobles pay to live in luxury and indulge in the local hot springs, native women and exotic foods. Rumor has it, that the Sultan Sumir lives in the golden palace of Qal'Alu. The Dusts The inland zone of Ferrum is referred to as The Dusts. And not without good reason. It is a harsh wasteland, full of sand and orcish tribes. It is home to several bandit clans, vagrants, and wasteland scavengers as well. Sasheya : Sasheya is one the few great inland cities of Ferrum. The city was built upon a lush desert oasis. By all accounts, the oasis is a place of deep tranquility and an escape from the harsh wastelands of Ferrum. The astronomer and scholar, Kira Osir, was so taken by the desert oasis that she finally settled in Sasheya and eventually built a great observatory there. They say that if lost in the sands, one can simply make their way if they just 'Follow the Light'... that is, the glint of the sun off of the observatory's looking glass. : Sasheya is currently under the authority of the mysterious Sultana Shakti, who rose to power seemingly overnight. Scandalous rumors among the sands claim the Sultana was merely a mistress of the bumbling Hazzad the 2nd prior to her uprising. Quicksand : Quicksand is large inland fortress. The fort is built deep into a man-made quarry. Great sandstone walls protect not only from intruders and sandstorms, but also keep its inhabitants from escaping. Quicksand is home to all manner of exiles, castaways and bandits, who, under the watchful eye of armed guardsman, eak out an existence mining into the quarry walls. Bones Quarry : The mining town of Bones Quarry makes its living in copper and coal mining. However, mining in the quarry can be a dangerous proposition with the frequent orc attacks, giant scorpions and deathly heat. Indeed, the skeletons of the quarry belong to those who once mined there. The Greedy Sultan Sumir owns the quarry and its workers, should they be ungrateful for their five copper a day, must face the Sultan's hired thugs. The Leap of Faith : The Leap is a deep chasm in the heart of Ferrum. It reaches far into the world's molten core, and every once in a while a vagrant fire elemental escapes from the depths. A series of great rocky spires jut out of the abyss and one could maybe leap across, spire to spire, if they had the faith. Upon reaching adulthood, it is said that a particular Orcish tribe, worshippers of the chasm, attempt to do just that. Coincidentally, several orcs plummet to their fiery death in the chasm each year. Epka'gut and The Orc War Kuthona, 20th, 999 – The Orcs outside of Cindercrag, hailing from the subterranean Orc kingdom Corg'kol, spill across the border to Ferrum, heading towards the Desert Orc kingdom Fer'og at the southern tip of the Leap of Faith. Kuthona, 22nd, 999 – Fer'og raiding parties are crushed in the wake of the Corg'kol army; those who escape make it back to Fer'og to warn them of the impending horde. Kuthona, 24th, 999 – Corg'kol troops stop short of Fer'og. Kuthona, 26th, 999 – The Orcs of Almerus, hailing from multiple scattered tribes throughout the Drumlins, collected under the banner of War-King Trun'gel, set sail across the sea towards Fer'og. Kuthona, 29th, 999 – The survivors of Trun'gel's war band, most being lost at sea, make landing at the southern coast of Ferrum near the Leap of Faith and make their way towards Fer'og. Kuthona, 25th – 30th, 999 – Skirmishes occur between the Corg'kol and Fer'og forces throughout the week. The Corg'kol army's supplies run out and infighting breaks out. Kuthona, 31st, 999 – Trun'gels scant war band makes a devastating attack against the southern border of Fer'og while it defends it's western border against Corg'kol. Abadius-Sarenith, 1000 – With the coming of the new year hundreds of thousands of Orcs lay dead in the sands at the south western tip of Ferrum. Fighting continues between Fer'og and Corg'kol as the human kingdom of Almerus seizes the opportunity to rid the Drumlins of Orcs. Kuthona, 1000 – Scouts from the Oasis City of Sasheya return with stories of the sacking of Fer'og. Word makes it to Merchant Cove and Al'akar within the month and the Orc slave trade is born. 1000-1113 – Orphans of the Orc War are collected, imprisoned, and used for everything ranging from front line fighters to manual labor to coliseum combatants. Inbreeding occurs from time to time and Half-orcs are usually kept with enslaved Orc populations so as to avoid shame to the noble families who sired them. Kuthona, 31st, 1013 – The city of Epka'gut, founded near what was once known as Fer'og on the business of Orc slave trade, is burnt away in a freak natural disaster emanating from The Leap of Faith, as molten lava spews for miles from the cut in The Known. In Sasheya, Merchant Cove, and Al'akar, a seemingly coordinated uprising nearly destroys the slave trade over night as thousands are killed and Orcish slaves (many of whom were children during the Orc War) escape into the wastes. Free tribes of Orcs raid and pillage towns throughout the Known during the New Years celebration that many are distracted by. 1015 – The city of Epka'gut is re-founded at it's present location, far away from The Leap of Faith and the terrible disaster that befell it 2 years prior. It is a gritty town where captures are sold into bondage and prepared for transport to Sasheya, and Merchant Cove. From the vast trade city of Merchant Cove they are then sent up the river via trade ships and boarded onto massive Galleons and are sold to human kingdoms throughout The Known. Kuthona, 31st, 1026, 1039, 1052, 1065, 1078, 1091, 1104 – Since the Orc War, these dates have been recorded as times of unusual Orc ferocity, cunning, and infighting across The Known. The Leap of Faith has also, like clockwork, erupted in a fury of lava on each of these dates. Cindercrag Cindercrag is the series of canyons and cliffs on the western edge of Ferrum that meets with Duergar. Dwarven expansion into the crag has pushed the Orcish tribes that lived there into human territory. The crag gets its name for the blackened ash that covers the area. Some would claim that the cinder was created by the fighting of red dragons that once lived in the area, but, likely, it was caused by the now-dormant volcano, Mount Kilgor. Category:The Known World Category:Ferrum